Turkey

Apple on Friday posted three new commercials as part of its ongoing Shot on iPhone advertising campaign. In line with Apple’s focus on regional media campaigns, the videos celebrate Children’s Day in Turkey and are now available for streaming through the company’s Turkish channel on YouTube.

Earlier this morning at 7:01am local time, Apple’s wrist-worn device went on sale in three new markets: New Zealand, Russia and Turkey. The Apple Watch is available through the Apple Online Store in New Zealand, Russia and Turkey, in addition to select non-Apple locations.

In Turkey, for example, the device is also available via company-woned brick-and-mortar stores at the Zorlu Center and Akasya Shopping Center in Istanbul. In Russia, the Apple Watch is available for walk-in customers at iPort, Re:Store and C-store outlets. And in New Zealand, the Apple Watch can be purchased in select Apple Stores.

Apple on Tuesday announced a fourth wave of Apple Watch expansion as the device is scheduled to launch in New Zealand, Russia and Turkey on Friday, July 31. The wrist-worn gizmo will be available in these countries from 7:01am local time via the Apple Online Store.

Customers in Turkey will also have the option of picking up their watch in one of Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores at the Zorlu Center and Akasya Shopping Center in Istanbul, as first noted by MacRumors.

With grand opening of Apple’s first retail store in Turkey confirmed for this coming Saturday, Apple dispatched Steve Cano, its Vice President of Retail Operations, to Istanbul to show off the structure’s incredible architecture and design to the press.

Although CEO Tim Cook and Turkish President Abdullah Gül were not in attendance, the significance of this particular store, Apple’s 424th, can’t be overstated. If you’ve been following Apple’s retail efforts, you’re familiar with the look and feel of the company’s flagship retail locations, often likened to the shrines attracting devotees who worship Apple’s sexy products there.

But starting with the recently redesigned Stanford 2 store in North California, Apple has seemingly adopted a fresh new design language for its brick-and-mortar locations, now focused on the 100 percent seamless glass appearance with lots of open space so visitors feel like they’re part of the surrounding landscape.

The new Turkish store is a continuation of this trend and you really need to see the photographs to truly appreciate what Apple has accomplished here…

Earlier this year, Tim Cook traveled to Turkey to meet with the country’s president, to reportedly discuss the opening of a retail store in Istanbul, research and development and other matters. The store opening is of particular significance, as it would be Apple’s first in the region. Well it looks like the talks were successful. According to Turkish Apple blog ElmaDergisi, Apple is set to open a retail store in Istanbul’s Zorlu Center on April 4. And as proof of the gravity of the event, both Cook and Turkish president Abdullah Gül are expected to be in attendance…

Yesterday, Turkish government officially confirmed that Apple CEO Tim Cook was meeting President Abdullah Gül at the Çankaya Presidential Compound in Ankara to discuss a potential $4.5 billion iPad deal and other major initiatives and incentives in the 74 million people country.

The official website of the Turkish government on Tuesday published details of the meeting. The two leaders have covered a wide range of topics, including the possibility of an Apple research and development center in Turkey and how iPads could help improve education in the country.

President Gül wanted to know whether Apple could add Turkish support to Siri and Cook was interested in a possibility of Turkey dropping its special luxury taxes that are being applied to iPhone and iPad sales in the country…

Last December, a Turkish website claimed Tim Cook would travel to Turkey to met with President Abdullah Gül to discuss a potential multi-billion dollar iPad deal in education. It would be worth up to $4 billion and would entail an order for fifteen million tablets over the next three years, the story went.

This bold educational project known as FATIH, would put tablets in over 40,000 Turkish schools, representing a major win for Apple and education. The government of Turkey, home to 74 million people, has now confirmed that the meeting will take place later today…

Tim Cook is reportedly scheduled to travel to Turkey next year for the opening of Apple’s first retail store in the country. The store is located in the city of Istanbul, in the Zorlu Center, and is expected to open on February 4, 2014.

But according to a new report, that won’t be Cook’s only order of business for the visit. The CEO is also believed to be meeting with President Abdullah Gül to discuss a potential education iPad deal worth between $3 and $4 billion…

After Apple back in January flew its vice president for education John Couch to Turkey who meet with the country’s president Abdullah Gül to discuss Turkey’s $4.5 billion modernization program in which textbooks will be replaced by tablets and chalkboards by electronic whiteboards, a report Monday notes that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan has now visited Apple, along with Google and Microsoft, in order to explore options ahead of the country’s impending decision to purchase 10.6 million tablets for education…

We learned in August 2011 that the Turkish government was looking to place an order for 15 million tablets over the next three years in a bold educational project known as FATIH.

The project was supposed to put tablets in over 40,000 Turkish schools and was initially thought to be worth an estimated $1.7 billion.

The country’s president even visited Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop headquarters last May to discuss tablets and education. We haven’t heard much regarding the initiative since, until today’s report published by a Turkish blog which claims that several Apple executives met with Turkish president Abdullah Gül to talk the country’s tablet project, now estimated at $4.5 billion…